Many animal pests, such as insects, arachnoids, and nematodes, such as chinch bug (Family Lygaeidae) Annual bluegrass weevil (Family Curculionidae), Rhodesgrass mealybug (Family Pseudococcidae), Banks grass mite (Family Tetranychidae), Ground pearls (Family Margarodidae), 2-lined spittlebug (Family Cercopidae), Billbug (Family Curculionidae), ticks, fleas, and various root parasitic nematodes, cause problems such as, feedings that can damage or kill turfgrass. For example, chinch bugs, especially the Southern Chinch bugs (Blissus insularis), damages St. Augustine grass in Florida.
Pyrethroids, especially bifenthrin, organochlorines, and organophosphates have been used for many years to control the pests. As a result, the pests have developed wide-spread resistance to a number of chemical classes, including organochlorines, organophosphates, and/or pyrethroids.
While many still use pyrethroids to control these pests, they have had to apply more pyrethroids at higher rates to overcome resistance. Some pest populations are now completely uncontrolled with all labeled rates of pyrethroid chemistry. Pyrethroid resistance in chinch bugs is well documented in Florida, and turf managers are quite aware of this potential problem. This has led to a search in the industry for non-pyrethroid chemistry to use to control the pests.